Page 38 of The Rival in South Africa
“I am now, but I’m moving to Europe for a year. I’ll be mostly in Croatia, with a digital nomad visa, but I’ll be traveling around too. I know Croatia is far from you, of course, but maybe we can meet if I come to London.”
An opportunity to meet with someone as influential as Tessa?
“Yes,” I breathed, trying to keep excitement out of my voice. “Absolutely. But…surely you know people in London?”
Tessa laughed. “I do, but you can never have too many good contacts. And maybe we can discuss your next article in person.”
I might have swooned a tiny bit. “Lovely.” My phone buzzed against my face.
“I’ll let you know when that happens. I look forward to seeing your pictures, and we’ll talk soon!”
We hung up, and I shook my head, dazed that Tessa not only remembered me but was looking forward to working with me again.
Then I remembered the text on my phone, and with a sinking heart, I opened up the message. It was from Alex.
Alex
Nikki…we’re still working. No end in sight. I have to cancel tonight.
I sighed. At least he was letting me know. I tapped my fingernail on the edge of my phone. I wanted to tell Alex about the call with Tessa, but I would have to explain so much. What have I gotten myself into?
Instead, I typed out a message back.
Nikki
What if I brought lunch tomorrow?
When the phone rang, I assumed it would be Alex ringing to discuss lunch. Instead, it was my mother.
“Annika Elizaveta Kozlova,” my mother began and gave me a tongue-lashing of Russian proportions, “how could you not tell me you and Alex are dating?”
When she calmed down enough, I filled her in on the mother-appropriate aspects of my new relationship, and she huffed at me. “I had to hear from Natasha!”
“I know, Mum. I’m sorry.”
By the time I soothed Mum’s ruffled feathers, I was yawning in exhaustion.
I brushed my teeth, and Alex finally responded with a gif of a kid jumping up and down in excitement.
Nikki
Dork.
Alex
Yes. Miss you.
* * *
Boyd Technologies tookup the entire building, which was no surprise. This was their headquarters, and with billions in sales every year, they could afford a whole building, even in a prime location such as Camden and Islington.
The security desk buzzed me up, and rather than taking me right to Alex, Paige, the assistant who’d greeted me at the elevator, led me into a huge office with glass windows, a wide, mahogany desk, and a stunning view.
A leather couch sat against the interior wall, which was made of opaque glass that blocked the view and most of the light. I sat on the couch, resting the takeaway on the table in front of it, and waited.
I had been early but prepared. I had work to do, and I made a note to myself to ask Alex if I could use his desk to work the next time I came in to wait for him. I spent some time responding to emails and catching up on social media.
“Hey.” Alex’s voice hit me from the doorway.
